"It came and went too fast, technically, for human comprehension. It was an infinitesimal piece of a moment-already history before any coherent thought could be formed. Yet, as all who experienced it knew deep down, something as significant as it was inexplicable had just happened, something mysterious that had never happened before ..." In a moment that's gone almost before it arrives, everything changes. What the townsfolk come to describe as a "flash" dramatically alters the lives of every person who experiences it. At first, it is the animals: the pets, the cattle, and the wildlife of the small Midwestern town of Highland, Illinois. Soon enough, the insidious symptoms spread to the people of Highland. A besieged police chief, his best detective, and the city manager try their best to understand and confront the evil gradually taking over their world. It keeps growing, though, and they soon realize that it might be bigger than all of them. This is a book that will capture you - and then won't let you go - starting with the very first page. It is the most haunting story since "Night of the Living Dead."